


A Tiny Problem

by Story_Teller_Of_Untold_Legends



Category: Sanders Sides, Thomas Sanders, Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Not a lot though, Tiny!Sides au, also prinxiety isn't the main focus of this fic, it just sorta pops up now and then, lil bit of angst here and there
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-13
Updated: 2017-11-13
Packaged: 2019-02-01 23:28:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12715014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Story_Teller_Of_Untold_Legends/pseuds/Story_Teller_Of_Untold_Legends
Summary: Personally, Virgil blamed Roman for this mess. He was always experimenting with magic, and that was the only explanation for their current situation. What, might you ask, had happened? Well, it all started earlier that morning.





	1. The Discovery

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was originally posted exclusively on my tumblr, @storytellerofuntoldlegends, but I've decided to post it here now too!

Personally, Virgil blamed Roman for this mess. He was always experimenting with magic, and that was the only explanation for their current situation. What, might you ask, had happened? Well, it all started earlier that morning.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Virgil had been lying on his bed with his headphones on, listening to My Chemical Romance, when a small face popped up and scared the living crap out of him.

“Hewo Virgil!” the small child cried. What on earth was a child doing in the mindscape? That’s when Virgil noticed that the child was wearing a pair of glasses, a blue polo shirt, a gray cardigan over his shoulders, and khaki pants.

“Patton?” Virgil asked incredulously.

“Dat’s my name!” he said, giggling.

“Why are you a toddler?” Virgil asked. Patton shrugged.

“I dunno. Let’s go playy!” he replied, tugging Virgil’s arm.

“Maybe in a minute Pat. We need to go find the others and figure out what to do,” Virgil said, sitting up. Just then, Roman burst in, carrying a child wearing glasses, a black polo shirt, blue tie, and jeans.

“Not Logan too,” Virgil groaned, flopping back onto his bed.

“Virgil, the worst thing has- wait, what do you mean, too?!” Roman cried out. Then his eyes landed upon Patton, who was standing beside Virgil’s bed.

“Oh for the love of Disney,” Roman sighed. Logan started to squirm in Roman’s arms.

“Ro, put me down!” Logan cried, wiggling around and pounding his tiny fists on Roman’s chest.

“Okay, okay! I’ll put you down now,” Roman conceded, and gently placed Logan down on the ground. Logan skittered away, and adjusted his tie.

“Logaan!” Patton cried out, and ran forward to give Logan a hug.

“No! NO hugs!” Logan cried out, trying to run away, but it was too late. Patton wrapped his arms around Logan, and Logan let out a high-pitched shriek. Virgil clambered off his bed and rushed towards them, trying to pry Patton away from Logan.

“C’mon Pat, let go of Logan, I’ll play with you if you let go of him,” Virgil negotiated, his usual deep voice cooing slightly. Roman felt his heart melt at the adorable scene.

“Play?” Patton asked, loosening his grip on Logan. Logan squirmed away and ran to Roman, hiding behind him.

“Yes Patton, let’s go play,” Virgil sighed. Patton giggled.

“Yaay! Tag, you’re it!” Patton exclaimed, tapping Virgil on the shoulder and running out of his room, giggling the whole time. Virgil groaned.

“Ugh, Patton’s making me exercise. Welp, better go after him before the little tyke gets himself into trouble,” Virgil said, leaving his room as well.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It turned out Patton was very good at tag. Virgil was currently roaming the halls of the mindscape, looking for Patton. He had taken to hiding from Virgil, making their previous game of tag more of a game of hide and seek. Virgil tried to suppress the overwhelming sense of anxiety that was starting to build up at the fact that he still hadn’t found Patton yet. How long had it been? A few minutes? An hour? Virgil wasn’t sure anymore. His searching became more frantic, and he could feel the edge of a panic attack coming on.

“Keep it together Virgil, it’s just the mindscape. Patton has to be around here somewhere,” he muttered to himself.

“Why are you talking to yourself?” a voice piped up behind him. Virgil whirled around to see a tiny Logan peering up at him curiously. Virgil placed a hand on his chest, over his now rapidly beating heart.

“Geez Logan, give a guy some warning next time, okay? And what did you do to Roman?” Virgil asked.

“He told me to stay put, and that he had to go take care of something. But that was boring, so I decided to find you instead,” Logan replied. Virgil made a mental note to yell at Roman for leaving Logan alone later.

“C’mon Logan, help me find Patton,” Virgil said, reaching out a hand towards Logan. Logan glanced at the outstretched hand, then back at Virgil.

“Why?” he asked.

“Because it’s not good for Patton to be all alone,” Virgil replied.

“Why?” he questioned again.

“Because if adult Patton doesn’t make good decisions, then I’m terrified of what trouble toddler Patton could get into,” Virgil said, irritation creeping into his voice.

“Okay,” Logan said with a shrug, taking Virgil’s hand. Virgil let out a sigh of relief, until he heard a loud thump coming from the kitchen, and the sound of crying following soon after. Virgil cursed under his breath, then scooped Logan up into his arms, who protested greatly at this action. Virgil ignored this and ran into the kitchen. He was greeted by the sight of Patton sprawled out on the floor, cradling his left arm and sobbing. Virgil set Logan down on the ground, and knelt beside Patton.

“Hey Pat, it’s okay, it’s okay, can I see your arm?” Virgil asked gently. Patton hesitated, his tears subsiding slightly. Then, after a second or two, he stretched out his arm towards Virgil. Virgil gently took him by the wrist, and started to gently press down on Patton’s arm.

“Does it hurt when I touch it?” he asked. Patton shook his head. Virgil let go of his arm.

“Can you try bending it for me? Or moving it around a bit?” Virgil asked. Patton did as he was told, and Virgil was relieved when he saw that Patton could move it without difficulty.

“Alright Pat, it doesn’t look like it’s broken, but we should probably ice it just to be safe. And let’s do something a little less… active. How about we watch some cartoons?” Virgil asked. Patton visibly perked up at that idea.

“Can we watch Winnie the Pooh?” Patton asked. Virgil smiled and ruffled Patton’s hair.

“Of course,” Virgil said, standing up. Patton stood up as well, and reached his arms out towards Virgil.

“Up!” he cried out. Virgil sighed, bent down, and picked Patton up. Patton wrapped his arms around Virgil’s neck and cuddled closer to him, sighing contentedly. A small smile crept up Virgil’s face, and he walked towards the freezer to grab an ice pack. (When Patton was an adult, he always made sure to keep a couple on hand, since Roman tended to get a little banged up on his adventures) After awkwardly rifling through the freezer with one hand, while trying to keep a firm grip on Patton, he finally managed to get an ice pack. He then walked into the living room, with Logan trailing behind him, and set Patton down on the couch.

“Don’t worry, I’ll cuddle you again in a minute. I just need to get some things for watching Winnie the Pooh. Now stay put, and put the ice pack where it hurts on your arm,” Virgil explained when Patton pouted slightly. Virgil started to walk out of the living room again, but noticed that Logan had started to follow him.

“You stay here too, Logan,” Virgil said, crouching down to look Logan in the eye.

“But I don’t wannaa,” Logan whined.

“Just bear with me, okay Logan? After we watch Winnie the Pooh, you can pick what we watch next, okay?” Virgil compromised. Logan considered it for a moment, then nodded. Virgil breathed out a sigh of relief, and watched Logan toddle back towards Patton on the couch. Virgil then proceeded to grab blankets, stuffed animals, snacks, and of course, the Winnie the Pooh DVD. He walked back into the living room, arms full, to see Logan and Patton having a very serious discussion about puppies. Virgil smiled in spite of himself. Their chatting stopped when they saw Virgil with his arms full of goodies.

“Puppy!” Patton squealed, reaching for a dog plushie that balanced precariously in Virgil’s arms. Virgil carefully but quickly gave Patton the plush dog and a blanket. He then gave Logan a dinosaur plushie and a blanket. He set the snacks down on the coffee table, and put the disc into the player. He then sat down in between Logan and Patton, and was pleasantly surprised when both of them cuddled up to him. The movie started, and Virgil could slowly feel himself drifting off to sleep. Who knew a little less than an hour with two toddlers could be so exhausting?   


	2. Cuddles and Bedtime Stories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fluff. 'Nuff said.

Roman did truly feel bad for leaving Virgil alone with the two toddlers. Really, he did. But Roman had a sneaking suspicion that Logan and Patton’s current state was due to magic somehow leaking from his room. It was the only thing that could explain it. Roman smiled to himself as he looked through the bookshelf in his room, knowing Logan would be proud of his deductive reasoning. While Roman, admittedly, wasn’t as much of an avid reader, did have a small collection of books. Most of which were fairytales, but there were also a couple spellbooks in the mix. In fact, the latter is what he was searching for. There had to be some sort of spell to reverse this. While yes, Logan and Patton were adorable, Roman didn’t want to know what would happen to Thomas when two major parts of his personality turned into children. 

Roman searched for about an hour, but quickly became frustrated when he found nothing. Putting aside his quest to change them back for now, he decided to find the others. It didn’t take long to find them, and when he did, Roman’s heart threatened to stop when he saw the adorable scene. The three of them were in the living room, watching Winnie the Pooh. (Roman was a little miffed that they were watching a Disney movie without him, but he was too focused on the cuteness overload) Virgil was fast asleep, with a sleeping Logan and Patton on either side of him. Patton was cuddling Virgil, with both arms wrapped around his waist, and Virgil had his left arm around Patton’s shoulders. Logan was clinging to Virgil’s right arm, and was nuzzling him slightly. Roman smiled and pulled out his phone, snapping a few photos. He’d definitely tease Virgil about this later.

Suddenly, there was a small yawn. Logan shifted slightly, and blearily opened his eyes. He let go of Virgil’s arm to rub his eyes, and yawned again. He glanced around, seeming to be searching for something.

“What are you looking for, tiny nerd?” Roman asked quietly. Logan jumped, clearly not noticing that Roman had been there.

“I am not tiny,” Logan protested, crossing his arms and pouting.

“Sure you aren’t. You’re just fun-sized,” Roman said, playfully booping Logan on the nose. In response, Logan wrinkled his nose and stuck his tongue out.

“Now what is it you’re looking for?” Roman asked again.

“My dino,” Logan replied, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“I- I’m sorry, your what now?” Roman asked.

“My dino! It’s a blue brachiosaurus,” he said. Roman cocked his head to the side. Logan sighed. (Which, if he were an adult, Roman would have found it annoying. However, as a toddler, his sighs were quite adorable.)

“You don’t know what a brachiosaurus is? They eat plants, they have suuuper long necks, and- THERE IT IS!” Logan squealed, reaching for a blue dinosaur plushie on the ground. Unfortunately, his triumphant cry woke both Patton and Virgil up.

“Wazhappenin?” Virgil asked groggily. Patton looked confused for a moment, then started crying, disoriented and upset over his nap suddenly being done. Virgil glared at Roman, then quickly started to comfort the crying child.

“Hey, Pat, it’s okay! How about we go to your room and you can go back to sleep?” Virgil suggested.

“Will you read me a bedtime story?” he asked quietly, no longer crying, but still sniffling a bit.

“I uh- sure,” Virgil said, yawning. Roman frowned. Virgil was clearly extremely tired, and Roman honestly wasn’t sure if he would stay awake much longer, nonetheless read a bedtime story to Patton.

“No offense Virge, but I don’t think you’d be a very good bedtime storyteller. I, on the other hand, am the fanciful side. Which means that I am the obvious choice for bedtime story reading. Come on Patton!” Roman declared, extending an arm towards Patton. Patton, in return, frowned and clung to Virgil.

“I wanna stay with Virrrge!” Patton whined.

“Okay Patton, I’ll stay with you, don’t worry. Let’s go to your room. You’d be a lot more cozy in there,” Virgil sighed. He gave Roman a look that seemed to say “Thanks for trying”. Virgil then scooped Patton up into his arms, taking his blanket and dog plushie with him. Roman watched the pair leave for a moment, in awe of how surprisingly kind and gentle Virgil was around the two toddlers. His thoughts were soon interrupted by someone tugging on his pants leg. He looked down to see Logan staring up at him, blanket and dino plushie in his arms.

“What is it, Logan?” Roman asked. Logan shifted from one foot to the other, blushing slightly.

“Would you… would you read me a bedtime story?” Logan asked timidly. Roman felt his heart swell with joy.

“It would be my pleasure,” Roman answered, bending down to pick up the young logical side. He was pleasantly surprised when Logan all but leapt into his arms and allowed Roman to carry him to his room. He walked into Logan’s room, and set him down on the bed.

“Now, what would you like me to read to you?” Roman asked, sitting beside him. Logan paused for a moment, his brow furrowed deep in thought.

“Will you tell me a fairytale?” Logan asked.

“Of course, but there are a lot of fairytales to choose from! You’re going to have to be more specific,” Roman explained. Logan rested his head in his hand, deep in thought once more.

“I’ve already heard most of the regular fairytales. I want you to tell me a new one!” Logan exclaimed, his eyes lighting up with excitement and curiosity. Roman sighed. How could he ignore a face like that?

“Then I shall tell you a new fairytale! Hmm… where to begin?” Roman questioned, resting his chin in his hands.

“At the beginning, I hope,” Logan giggled. Roman smirked. Even as a child, Logan still managed to be sarcastic. He sighed, and began his story.

“Once upon a time, there was a grand kingdom. And in this kingdom, there were four princes. The oldest prince was known for his kind heart and love for his kingdom. He was always willing to help the kingdom, even if it was inconvenient to him,” Roman began.

“That sounds like Patton!” Logan exclaimed.

“That’s just a coincidence. Now don’t interrupt,” Roman reprimanded.

“Okay,” Logan said, snuggling beneath the blankets and listening attentively. 

“As I was saying, the second oldest prince was well known for his wisdom and broad knowledge. He was always searching for more knowledge, always yearning to learn more. He also saw it as his duty to teach those around him. The second youngest prince was bold, brave, and was the most handsome out of the four. At least, that’s what the people of their kingdom said. Anyway, the third prince was always off on an adventure of some sort, and slayed beasts that would plague the kingdom. The youngest and fourth prince was… different from all of the rest. At first, he seemed cold and off-putting, and some were uncomfortable in his presence. He didn’t really get along with any of his brothers, except for maybe the eldest of the four. But there really was a lot more to this prince than the dark exterior you saw of him. But the princes and the kingdom didn’t realize it until it was almost too late. Because one day, the youngest prince went missing,” Roman said, taking a pause for dramatic effect. It was then that he noticed that Logan had fallen fast asleep, and was snoring peacefully.

“Well, I suppose I will have to finish that story another time then. Goodnight, little one,” Roman whispered, gently pushing a few stray strands of hair from Logan’s face. He then softly kissed his forehead, then left the room. He shut the door quietly behind him, than almost ran smack-dab into Virgil.

“That was quite the bedtime story, Roman,” Virgil commented dryly.

“I uh- erm, you heard that?” Roman asked sheepishly.

“Yeah. Don’t worry about it, that was actually kinda cute,” Virgil replied, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. He then yawned, stretching slightly.

“Virgil, you look dead on your feet. Go get some sleep,” Roman suggested.

“Don’t be ridiculous, I’m fine. Besides, there’s too much to clean up in the mindscape,” Virgil pointed out.

“I will take care of that. It’s the least I can do, considering you took care of the two of them,” Roman protested.

“Where were you, anyhow?” Virgil asked, quirking up an eyebrow.

“I was looking through my spellbooks. I figured that some magic must have leaked from my room and turned Patton and Logan into toddlers. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any luck,” Roman sighed.

“Well, at least you were trying to help. You sure you’ll be okay cleaning up the mess?” Virgil asked.

“Yes. Now go to bed,” Roman ordered.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever… Mom,” Virgil teased. Roman would have been dramatic and yelled some creative insult at Virgil, but they had just gotten Patton and Logan to sleep. So instead, Roman rolled his eyes and went back to the living room to start cleaning up the mess. 


	3. Confrontation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lil bit of angst here. Sorry?

Virgil was dozing peacefully for a little less than an hour. That is, until a certain teary-eyed Patton showed up at the side of his bed. He was clutching his blanket and dog plushie, and was trembling slightly.

“Patton? Is everything okay?” Virgil asked, sitting up in bed.

“I had a bad dream. Can I sleep with you?” Patton asked in a whimper.

“Well, sure, but maybe we’d better go in your room. I don’t think my room would help you much,” Virgil suggested. Patton glanced around, shuddering at the spider curtains.

“Okay,” Patton said quietly. Virgil gave a small smile, and climbed out of bed. He picked Patton up and walked out of his room. He walked down the hall and to Patton’s room. Once inside, the cheery glow almost instantly overwhelmed him. He shook it aside, and walked over to the bed. He set Patton down on it, and he immediately crawled underneath the sheets. Virgil climbed in beside him and brought the sheets over him. He drew Patton into his arms, and Patton snuggled up against his chest. An uncharacteristically dopey smile spread out across his face, and he blamed the atmosphere of Patton’s room for it. It definitely wasn’t because tiny Patton was so cute. Definitely not.

Virgil had just about drifted off to sleep when he felt an odd tugging sensation at the back of his head. Thomas was summoning them, which meant he noticed that something odd was going on.

“Oh great,” he muttered, as he felt himself appear in the real world. Roman, Logan, Patton, and himself were now all there in the real world, in their usual spots, with a very confused Thomas in his usual place. He, however, was not nearly as confused as Patton and Logan were. They were both a little bleary-eyed, and they were glancing around at their new surroundings. Sure, they had been in Thomas’s apartment before, but it was so new and exciting to see it as toddlers.

“Uh… guys? What exactly is going on?” Thomas asked.

“Good question,” Virgil scoffed, glaring at Roman.

“Just because magic might have leaked from my room doesn’t make it my fault!” Roman retorted.

“Well, you could’ve been helpful for once, but instead you left me with two toddler-ized sides!” Virgil shot back.

“I was trying to find a cure for them!” Roman protested.

“You could have told me that instead of leaving Logan alone!” Virgil replied. The two continued to argue, and Thomas watched on in conflicted silence. Should he try and intervene? Or would he just make things worse? He could just not make up his mind, and he sort of just wanted to cry. Which didn’t make much sense. Then again, maybe this urge to cry was because of his two, as Virgil put it, “toddler-ized” sides. His train of thought was suddenly interrupted when both Patton and Logan ran to Thomas.

“Please make them stop,” Patton whimpered quietly, clinging to Thomas. Logan nodded his head in agreement, his cinnamon brown eyes watering slightly.

“Roman, Virgil, that’s enough!” Thomas shouted, glaring at the two of them. They stopped their arguing abruptly, seeming to just notice that they were still in the real world with Thomas and the others. 

“Sorry Thomas. I- I guess I’m just a little… overtired. And maybe overemotional. I was just in Patton’s room,” Virgil apologized sheepishly.

“I’m sorry too. I should’ve talked to you first before going off and doing my own thing, Virgil,” Roman piped up.

“Thanks guys, but I’m not the one you need to be apologizing to,” Thomas said, gesturing to the two trembling toddlers on either side of him.

“We’re sorry, little ones. We didn’t mean to scare you by our arguing. Can you forgive us?” Roman asked softly, crouching down so he could be at eye-level with the two toddlers. Patton stopped sniffling and smiled.

“Of course, Ro!” he exclaimed, leaping forward and hugging Roman. Roman, not expecting the sudden weight of a toddler jumping on him, toppled backward, landing flat on his back. Everyone was quiet for a moment, but broke into laughter within seconds. Roman sat up, wiping tears of mirth away from his eyes. Patton still had his tiny arms wrapped around him, refusing to let go. 

“Okay Patton, it’s time to let go now,” Roman said, trying to pry the small fatherly trait off of him.

“No!” Patton cried, hugging him tighter. Roman took a sharp intake of breath.

“Okay, but I need to breathe, Padre,” Roman gasped.

“Sorry Ro! I just love you a lot,” Patton said, loosening his grip and staring up at Roman with adoring eyes. If Thomas didn’t feel like crying before, this heart-melting scene definitely made him tear up a little bit.

“I love you too, Patton,” Roman murmured, hugging the child back. Virgil smiled softly. He didn’t think Roman could be anything more than loud, obnoxious, and arrogant. This whole other “softer” side to Roman was rather… enchanting. Virgil shook his head, blinking rapidly in surprise. What was he even thinking?!

“Are you okay?” a small voice piped up beside him. Virgil looked down and saw Logan staring at him with curiosity.

“I’m fine,” Virgil replied.

“You don’t look fine,” Logan said bluntly.

“I told you, I’m fine,” Virgil insisted.

“You were looking at Roman weirdly. And then you shook your head and made an even weirder face,” Logan said, a look of puzzlement across his face. Then he gasped.

“Kid-” Virgil started, but was interrupted by an excited squeal from Logan.

“YOU LIKE ROMAN!” Logan squealed. Everyone turned towards Logan and a now very flustered Virgil.

“Well- I… I uh, well of course I like Roman. He’s my friend, isn’t he?” Virgil sputtered.

“Not thaaaat kind of like! I mean like-like! You looov-” Logan started, but was cut off by Virgil clamping a hand over his mouth. Logan gave a muffled cry of frustration.

“That’s enough out of you, Logan. Now, this little chat has been fun, Thomas, but- DID YOU JUST LICK ME?!” Virgil shouted, quickly pulling his hand away from Logan’s mouth. The logical side, in return, giggled and ran away from Virgil.

“Oh I’m gonna get you for that,” Virgil growled, chasing after the giggling toddler. Logan shrieked with laughter and ran to hide behind Thomas. Virgil stopped in place, pretending like he couldn’t see Logan anymore.

“Oh no! I’ve lost Logan! What a horrible caretaker I am!” he said, flopping dramatically onto the couch. Thomas chuckled and looked down at the now slightly distressed toddler hiding behind him. Virgil gave out a trembling sigh, and pretended to wipe away tears. That was when Logan decided that enough was enough, and came out from behind Thomas and walked up to Virgil.

“I’m right here, Virge! Don’t cry!” Logan said, placing a hand on Virgil’s shoulder. Virgil’s pouting frown turned into a wicked smile, and he tackled Logan down to the ground, tickling him.

“No! St- ahahahaha-op it-t-t! Viiirrrgil!” Logan shrieked between his laughs.

“Never! This is payback, Logan!” Virgil shouted, redoubling his efforts to make Logan laugh. After a few minutes of tickling him, Virgil ended the attack on Logan. He smiled and ruffled Logan’s hair.

“Alright, I guess I’ll let you off, for now,” Virgil said in a mock-menacing tone. Logan giggled in reply.

“So… not that I’m not loving all of the adorableness going on here… but is there a way to change them back?” Thomas asked. Roman sighed and stood up, Patton still in his arms.

“I searched through all of my spellbooks, and I couldn’t find anything. However, if this is truly caused by magic, then it should wear off within a few days,” Roman explained.

“And if it isn’t caused by magic? What will we do then?” Virgil asked, standing up and walking to stand beside Roman and Thomas. The three adults fell into silence, each of them with a perplexed expression on their face.

“I guess the best thing we can do for now is wait it out. Until we can find a way to turn them back to normal,” Thomas decided. Roman and Virgil nodded. Virgil suddenly felt someone tugging on the sleeve of his hoodie. He looked down to see Logan staring up at him.

“What is it, Lo?” Virgil asked.

“Can we watch Big Hero 6? We never got the chance to earlier,” he asked timidly.

“Yeah! And can we build a pillow fort?” Patton asked, grinning from ear to ear.

“That sounds like a great idea! I’ve got some extra blankets and stuff upstairs, I’ll go and grab them,” Thomas said, heading towards the staircase and going upstairs.

“I’ll get their plushies and onesies from the mindscape,” Roman volunteered, setting Patton down.

“Well I guess that leaves me to take care of the rest. Let’s go get some snacks ready,” Virgil said, walking over to the kitchen with two toddlers trailing after him.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A little while later, the pillow fort was set up, Patton and Logan were in toddler-sized versions of their respective onesies, popcorn and other snacks were set out, and Big Hero Six was playing on the screen. Virgil was on one end of the couch/pillow fort, with Roman on the other. Patton and Logan were in between them, and Thomas was on the other side of Roman. Logan’s eyes were fixed on the screen, mesmerized by the wonders of the cartoon science-fiction universe. Patton was too busy devouring his popcorn to really pay attention to anything, and both Roman and Virgil were starting to drift off. It had been a long day for both of them. Thomas smiled to himself and focused back on the movie. In a strange way, this tiny problem was bringing them closer together.


	4. Stuck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here's where the prinxiety really comes into play. Enjoy!

Roman awoke to the credits of Big Hero 6 rolling on the screen. He glanced to his right and saw that Patton was curled up against him, half-awake and smiling contentedly. Logan was awake too, snuggled up next to Patton and clutching his dino plushie. Then, Roman looked over to see possibly the most precious sight of all: Virgil. The anxious trait was asleep, lips curled into a peaceful smile. His bangs were hanging low in his eyes, and his dark eyeshadow was extremely smudged. Yet despite this, he was still one of the most adorable things Roman had seen. (The most adorable being the toddler-ized Logan and Patton) To make matters cuter, Virgil also had one arm protectively draped over both Logan and Patton. 

Roman felt a small smile grace his lips as he thought about what Logan had said earlier. Was Logan right? Did Virgil really… like him? It seemed too good to be true. Roman pushed the thought aside, for now. He had two toddlers to worry about. And seeing as Virgil needed the rest, it would be up to Roman to take care of them. Roman then glanced over to his left and saw that Thomas was watching him, an amused smile upon his lips.

“I think I'm going to get everyone back to the mindscape. Keep an eye on Patton and Logan for me while I get Virgil to his room, okay?” Roman asked him. 

“Sure thing, Roman,” Thomas replied. Roman smiled in a silent thank you, and carefully stood up, trying not to wake Virgil. 

“Where are you going, Ro?” Logan asked.

“I'm just going to get Virgil to his room, he'll be more comfortable sleeping there. I'll be right back, okay?” Roman assured him. Both Logan and Patton didn't look happy with the idea of Roman leaving, but they both nodded anyhow. Roman then carefully bent down and started to scoop Virgil into his arms. Virgil then made a low, soft noise in the back of his throat, and Roman froze for a moment. Virgil then curled towards Roman, reaching out and tugging at his sash. Roman stumbled forward, nearly falling on top of Virgil. He heard giggles from next to him, and looked over to see both Logan and Patton grinning up at him. Thomas was trying- and failing- to suppress his grin from behind his hand. Roman rolled his eyes and continued with his task of picking Virgil up. After a few more attempts, Roman successfully carried Virgil in his arms, bridal style. He was surprisingly easy to carry, and Roman briefly worried if the darker trait ate enough. He pushed aside the thought for now, and sank into the mindscape.

He appeared in the living room of the mindscape, and proceeded to walk down the hallway, and to Virgil’s room. He reached the door, and realized he had no way to open it, as Virgil was in his arms. He then gently shifted Virgil so that he was draped over Roman’s right shoulder, leaving his left arm free to open the door. He walked into Virgil’s room, and gently laid him down on his bed. Roman was then going to leave to get Patton and Logan, but Virgil had other ideas. He grabbed ahold of Roman’s sash, and tugged him down onto the bed with him!

“Virgil!” Roman hissed, trying to free himself from his grip. Virgil didn't wake up, and instead wrapped his arms around Roman’s waist, tugging him closer. Roman involuntarily let out a small squeak and his cheeks flushed when a certain… sound slipped past Virgil’s lips. 

“Virgil please, I'll let you go back to sleep, but you need to let go of me so I can take care of Logan and Patton!” Roman said, trying to wake the sleepy emo. That deliciously enticing sound slipped from Virgil’s lips again, and he snuggled closer to Roman. Roman sighed. He'd been in tricky situations before, but this one took the cake. What was he going to do now?

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thomas frowned as he watched Logan and Patton babble to each other. He wasn't entirely paying attention to what they were saying, but he was pretty sure that Logan was attempting to lecture Patton about space. Which was rather adorable, but Thomas was too busy wondering about what was taking Roman so long.

“Thomas? Where's Ro?” Patton’s small voice piped up, startling Thomas from his thoughts.

“He said he was going to get Virgil to bed, he'll be back soon,” Thomas answered with a smile.

“Are you sure? He's been gone foreeeever!” Patton whined.

“What if he never comes back?” Logan asked, lip trembling. Whatever space-related “fact” he was just talking about completely forgotten, and he was now too busy worrying about Roman.

“Don't worry, he will be back. He wouldn't just leave you guys,” Thomas reassured them. Well, he tried to reassure them, but in all honesty he felt like he was reassuring himself.

“Are you sure?” Logan asked timidly.

“Positive. Anyway, Logan, you seem to like space… a lot,” Thomas said, trying to distract him. Fortunately for him, it worked.

“Yeah! Space is so cool! It just goes on and on and on! There’s so much of it to explore, and discover, and- and- do you think aliens are real?! Cause I think that maybe they are,” Logan babbled, his eyes lighting up. He continued to ramble on about space, his previous worries completely abandoned. Patton started chattering along with him, talking about how even dogs have been to space. Thomas grinned, feeling a childlike joy about outer space.

Suddenly, Roman reappeared in Thomas's living room, startling the three of them. His violet hair was a mess, and his clothes were slightly rumpled.

“What happened to you? What took you so long?” Thomas asked, a little concerned.

“I discovered the hard way that Virgil gets a little… cuddly when he sleeps. It took me a little longer than expected to detach myself from him,” Roman admitted sheepishly.

“YOU CUDDLED WITHOUT US?!” Patton exclaimed, jumping up from the couch/pillow fort, which caused his dog plushie and blanket to fall to the floor.

“It was unintentional, Patton. We can cuddle when we get back to the mindscape,” Roman assured him. Patton smiled, and then sat back down.

“Why do we have to go back to the mindscape?” Logan asked.

“Because Thomas has things he probably should be doing,” Roman answered.

“Why?” Logan inquired again.

“Because… Thomas is a very busy person! He has a youtube channel to maintain, after all,” Roman replied, getting slightly annoyed at Logan's constant questioning. 

“But-” Logan started, but was cut off by Roman.

“But nothing. We are going back to the mindscape,” Roman said firmly.

“But I don't wannaaaa! I want to talk about space with Thomas!” Logan whined.

“Look, Virgil will have my head if I don't take care of you guys properly. And the only way I can do that is if we go back to the mindscape,” Roman said, a bit gentler this time. Logan didn't reply, but instead looked up at Roman, bottom lip quivering. Roman sighed internally. How on earth was he supposed to resist that face? 

“Well… I suppose it can't hurt to stay out in the real world for a little while longer,” Roman conceded.

“Hooray!” Logan exclaimed, a grin breaking out over his face.

“But what about cuddles?” Patton asked.

“Well, we can cuddle right here!” Roman said cheerily, sitting down and gesturing for Patton to come sit on his lap. He frowned when Patton didn't immediately cuddle up to him.

“Is something wrong?” Roman asked.

“I changed my mind. I don't wanna cuddle anymore. Let's play a game!” Patton exclaimed. 

“Uh… okay then. What would you like to play?” Roman asked.

“Let's play hide and seek! Lo-Lo, do you wanna play?” Patton exclaimed, turning to his toddler counterpart.

“No, I wanna stay with Thomas!” Logan cried out, scrambling over towards Thomas and away from Patton and Roman.

“Well of course you can stay with me, buddy!” Thomas assured him.

“Alright then, it's settled! Patton, I'll cover my eyes and count to twenty, and you go and hide,” Roman told him.

“Okay!” Patton replied, running off and giggling. Roman smiled to himself and covered his eyes, beginning to count.

“18… 19… 20! Ready or not, here I come!” Roman said as he finished counting. He then began to search through Thomas’s apartment for the tiny fatherly trait. He walked towards the kitchen, and saw that the closet door was open a sliver. A grin spread out over Roman’s face, and he quickly opened the closet door. However, no one appeared to be inside. Roman shrugged, and turned around to walk away, but halted his steps when he heard giggling from inside the closet. He spun on his heel and looked in the closet again, and saw that Patton was perched on the shelf.

“How on earth did you get up there?” Roman asked, dumbstruck.

“I dunno. Catch me!” Patton cried, and he flung himself off of the shelf. It was lucky that Roman had such good reflexes, and he caught Patton in his arms with ease despite the short notice.

“Woah, careful there, little one. Now it’s my turn to hide!” Roman said, setting Patton down on the ground.

“Mkay! One… two… uhh… three?” Patton started, covering his eyes. He struggled a bit with the numbers, but that didn’t matter to Roman. As long as he was having fun, everything was good. Suddenly, Roman remembered that he was supposed to be hiding. He dashed up the stairs and into Thomas’s bedroom. He happened to know that for a vine, Thomas had once managed to get himself underneath his bed. And since he and Thomas were the exact same size, he knew he could fit under there as well. And he did, although it was a little cramped. So he waited. And waited. And waited some more. Roman frowned. How long had it been? Maybe he had hid himself too well?

“Well, looks like I’ll have to wiggle out and see what taking him so long,” Roman muttered to himself. He tried to crawl out, but realized an embarrassing fact. He was, in fact, stuck under the bed.

 


End file.
